AluminumAlloyBoats.com

New to the site and have just started my search for a 26 ft. pilothouse style aluminum. Started out looking at a Northriver O/S but after talking to some people about welds and seeing what has happened recently with the company that option is out. Thinking about making a trip up to Sooke, BC to look at the Silverstreak, as it seems there is incredible value for this boat with the Canadian exchange rate. Also looking at a Woolridge and Weldcraft. I know a lot of you are running Pacific’s, but they seem to be a little out of my price range. What are your thoughts on the boats mentioned and do you any of you have any other suggestions.

Thanks

Have you seen mine that is for sale ?

V26wa, can you put some more Pics up down in the boats for sale forum ?

Added some , theres plenty more at request. Sorry I didnt realize that ther were deleted from my original post

Omega3, it's all in the Materials and how it is built [ Now I'll do a shameless plug ] Pacific uses a ONE PIECE bottom, 5086 alloy , the right welding process and their processes [ Electrical and rigging ]are are all done by CERTIFIED people .
Do you realize the finish on a Pacific boat is the MILL FINISH that comes from the Aluminum Manufacturer and they can build a entire boat and deliver it with no scratches in the Aluminum.

OK , I'll get off my Soap box now , the other boats you mentioned are fine boats and 4 years ago I was in the same boat as you [ no pun intended ] I was shopping .
I finally got to see the boat of my dreams at TRADEWIND INFLATABLES & MARINE out in So. Cal. when my FIL Died in '05 , I had been shopping for over a year driving my buddies CRAZY cuz all I talked about was boats and still do. After seeing the Quality and then hearing about the , LIFE TIME WARRANTY ON THE BOAT , my mind was made up, the Pacific 23 it was .

A good rule of thump with these boats is , You get what you pay for !

You might also look at ROCKSALT and give Jay Perrotta a talking too.

Look at AMF , to compare $$ and of course check out NDI's ad up top.

We also have a list of MFR's here on the site and they are all clickable links .

PS , I would buy v26wa's boat in a Heart beat if I was looking . at what he is asking it is about 40K cheaper than a New '09 and the boat has less than 80 hours on it . yes thats eighty hours. If you wanted to change any thing around on the boat , the factory is in your back yard ,

Welcome Omega3!

You are in the BEST place to shop for a quality alloy boat that will last forever.

Post up everything you find and we can all give our ideas on the boats. Lots of great ones out there. V26wa's boat is an unbelievable deal and a tribute to how tough the market is for boat sellers right now. All that works in your favor if you are looking for a boat.

We've got a bunch of good builders here in the PacNW but you obviously already know that. The Canadian boats are good buys due to the exchange rate but that is changing against us again so if you go that way make your move (or lock in a price) soon. Also note that the Canuk boats tend to have deeper V bottoms than the local boats so the ride is different (better in rough conditions but generally more tippy).

IMO the North River, Woolridge & Weldcraft fall into the moderate duty group of boats but more affordable for sure. Boats like Sea Wolf, Ottercraft, NDI and others get you into heavier duty plate alloys.

You didn't say if you wanted a walk around pilothouse or not. The Pacific is an obvious choice for that but the boats in your original post are full width pilothouse styles.

Boat Builder links

As I mentioned I just started looking and figure I will need a few months just to learn the different aspects of aluminum boats and to see what is out there. I have always owned NON ALLOY so aluminum is new to me. I am really looking for a fishing boat that can sleep a couple people on rare occasions and to get out of the weather since I fish salmon a lot during the winter, therefore I thought the pilothouse boats are the best option.

V26wa, nice boat! Are your motors 4-stroke? I am done with 2-stroke, problem after problem and killing me on fuel.

Chaps, your correct if I was to get a Canadian boat I would need to do so quickly as the exchange is losing steam daily. This is why I was hoping someone would chime in about Silverstreak.

Questions I have:
1. One manufacturer told me to go with a 3/16 vs. quarter inch hull as it has better flexibility and much lighter for fuel economy?
2. How does the dead rise in the hull and the dead rise in the aft affect the ride and stability and what is best for occasional 2-5ft chop yet stable enough with 4 guys fishing?
3. What are the most important items to look at with each manufacturer to cut through the “bs” of every salesman “buy our boats, we are the best”?

I'll post my thoughts on these questions.

#1 I chose the 1/4" bottom [ One piece] as it is WAY tougher , look at the guys running River Jet boats their hulls are 1/4" or 5/16" minimum . The one piece bottom has less welds to worry about and using 5086 or better Alloy makes them about bullet proof. Of course the thicker, better, material comes at a cost $$$$$.
I'm talking PLATE ALLOY boats now , NOT tinnies [ Sheet metal ] Every 1/16" cost more money and on a plate boat I don't want to see ANY flex or movement in the hull while running or trying to crush rocks and docks.

#2 I like the Steep entry bow for slow speed maneuvering and the 18* dead rise for a stable ride at slow speed or adrift . Any steeper dead rise I would want the Ballast tubes like the boys down under use [ See AMF boats ] The 18* dead rise or smaller will give a ride that pounds more , as the number gets smaller the ride gets rougher .

#3 Hull material [ Marine Grade ], thickness of hull, How it's rigged and plumbed , What options are available , Manufacture support and most important Guarantee .

One way is to pick out a couple of boats you would take and post up which model with picture or a link and WE can look at it with you to talk about Pros and Cons.
We are not here to BASH anyone but we might see something that you need or don't need with each boat .

Happy boat hunting

I'm sure other here will give there opinion to help with the discussion .

Questions I have:
1. One manufacturer told me to go with a 3/16 vs. quarter inch hull as it has better flexibility and much lighter for fuel economy?
2. How does the dead rise in the hull and the dead rise in the aft affect the ride and stability and what is best for occasional 2-5ft chop yet stable enough with 4 guys fishing?
3. What are the most important items to look at with each manufacturer to cut through the “bs” of every salesman “buy our boats, we are the best”?[/quote]
1. Flexibility? Flex = metal fatigue & that is a bad dog. Unless he is referring to ease of bending the alloy sheet prior to welding. Go the 1/4". Heavier is stronger, provides a stiffer hull with more weight which will ride better. The difference in fuel burn will be tiny as you will not save enough weight with the 3/16 to come down in engine size.
2. More deadrise aft gives a better ride in the slop but will be less stable on the drift. Conversely less DR will give a rougher ride but will be more stable drifting. Or you could just throttle back. Depends on how far out you fish because that determines how fast you need to travel. A sea trial in the conditions you normally run in is a MUST. My hull is 23 deg DR but I have ballast tubes which flood at rest & provide a lot of stability.

3.Give the sales guys the flick . Talk to owners at the ramp. They will tell the truth unless they are trying to sell the boat. A used alloy boat will be a better deal than a new rig as they are virtually unbreakable.

Omega3 wrote:As I mentioned I just started looking and figure I will need a few months just to learn the different aspects of aluminum boats and to see what is out there. I have always owned NON ALLOY so aluminum is new to me. I am really looking for a fishing boat that can sleep a couple people on rare occasions and to get out of the weather since I fish salmon a lot during the winter, therefore I thought the pilothouse boats are the best option.

V26wa, nice boat! Are your motors 4-stroke? I am done with 2-stroke, problem after problem and killing me on fuel.

Chaps, your correct if I was to get a Canadian boat I would need to do so quickly as the exchange is losing steam daily. This is why I was hoping someone would chime in about Silverstreak.

Questions I have:
1. One manufacturer told me to go with a 3/16 vs. quarter inch hull as it has better flexibility and much lighter for fuel economy?
2. How does the dead rise in the hull and the dead rise in the aft affect the ride and stability and what is best for occasional 2-5ft chop yet stable enough with 4 guys fishing?
3. What are the most important items to look at with each manufacturer to cut through the “bs” of every salesman “buy our boats, we are the best”?

I'd say if your primary use will be fishing on Puget Sound or up in the Straits the steep deadrise will be less important, particularly since on the days it would make a difference you likely won't be out fishing anyway. If you were hard charging it out of Westport all summer long including the 60 mile tuna runs then that deep V would be desirable. Hull thickness? Builders that don't use 1/4" on boats over 21' are building to a price point IMO. Go look at some really well built and reputable boats so you have a baseline to judge others by.

I also wonder what the dealer you spoke to meant by "better flexibility" He must have meant "Flexibility" in design.

With the modest knowledge I have, I think that: the thicker, the less flex, the more puncture proof...the better. The weight savings of a 1/4" alloy over a non alloy boat is enough for me. Too light and a strong wind starts to take charge of your direction in ways that can get very frustrating and unsafe. I have been there in my Crestliner sheet metal boat, but never in my Pacific.

Even though I haven't gone through the entire thing...I can recommend that there is a ton of useful knowledge for an alloy boat enthusiast in Stephen Pollard's book - Boat Building with Aluminum.

Go with 3/16" over 1/4" in a 26' rig for the PacNW. No way. Sure, it'll lighter, but lighter boats are more apt to rideon top of the chop rather than through it a bit. Bang, bang, bang. And if you're out halibut fishing in a 3/16" bottom, you'll hear and feel the hull. More like twang, twang, bing. Sounds like you may have been talking to a Hewescraft or Thunderjet dealer, which are more on the entry-level side of things. Plenty of folks are happy with their NR Offshores, but I'd be a little skeptical of NR right now too. Also sounds like they may be getting out of the customization side of things for sport boats, so you'd have to go with whatever they have at the lot and then add to that.

We're about to pick up two new boats fr some work we do on the Snake and Columbia. I'm pushing Pacific, Lee Shore, and even Tuff Boat, and my boss suggested Hewescraft If you know what you want and plan to have it a while, get the right rig and have it built properly. Make sure you go with self-bailing. You'll want that for all the albacore trips.

Good point....I usually assume that all boats are self bailing, but the Hewes that Mojo and I saw at the Fred Hall show was not.

My buddy has the 24' Alaskan, and it's quite functional and caught plenty of albies last year (first summer with it), but it's not self-bailing. He did a little floor work to help things drain but it's not perfect. He had the rig back at Hewes for a little touch up and they found a couple of chovies stowed away underneath Got a little stinky too.

There is a 2005 26' cabin model for sale on the Eaglecraft website for ~$90K (CAN):

http://www.eaglecraft.bc.ca/used_boat105.html

This is a highly regarded alloy boat builder also located on Vancouver Island.

WRT Silverstreak - they don't always build self bailing decks. They will but you
have to insist on it. I visited their site and talked to the owner, I was told that
it raises the height of the deck (and lowers the freeboard). Many used Silverstreaks
do not have self bailing decks.

This one is my lottery dream today.

http://www.eaglecraft.bc.ca/used_boat101.html

S L Dave wrote:This one is my lottery dream today.

http://www.eaglecraft.bc.ca/used_boat101.html

That is a lot of boat for a single 250 outboard even by my standards and I tend to power conservatively. I wonder what prop that thing is swinging, must be about a 13" pitch

26 pilothouse aluminum?

In the Northwest there are so many to choose from it's like being a kid in a candy store.. Silverstreak as you mentioned, Armstrong my favorite, Seawolf, Eagle craft, NDI, Lifetimer. Almost too many to choose from.

Another question for you is what is your budget? The amount you can spend is almost unlimited.

As for the deadrise, I have a Seawolf 31' that I have just 40 hours on now, and will be ruing up to AK this spring. I heard the same thing about deadrise; it is 14 degrees at the transom, but different from my last boat it is sharp at the nose. When things get rough, you put some trim out and cut the chop more on the nose, so it is not an issue. I only drop a couple of knots when doing this and the ride is still good. If it gets really big and steep, then maybe more deadrise helps, but then having a more stable hull in this condition is important as well.

Jim

If I can have a Pacific...anyone can have a Pacific!

No one has ever mentioned this Canadian builder either. C-Raider and C-King also in Vancouver I beleive.

If I was in the same area as a builder or same state. I think I would do buisness with them. Its the kind of relations I'd want.

Haven't had a lot of time to look this week, but thanks to you all I am starting to realize who the better names are: Eaglecraft, Pacific, Ironwood, Seawolf, etc. I think I would be very interested in V26wa's Pacific it had 4 stroke engines. I just looked at the http://www.c-kingmarine.com/index.htm site, looks like a nice boat. My budget going into this was $70-$90K and was thinking that with the exchange rate I could get a Canadian boat inexpensive and have it powered down here. But after looking at some of the quality boats I might have to up my budget. Too bad there aren't any good used boats fitting my criteria out there.

Hello Omega3 check out the Pacific 2325 WA5 just posted in the List your boat section. Talk to Julie at Pacificboats.

Take care, have patience a deal will come along.
Mark

Omega...there are definitely used boats out there that will fit your dream and your budget. Be patient.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2003/Ho ... ted-States

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2004/Ma ... and/Canada

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2008/Se ... ted-States